College Scholarship Awarded to Isaac Gabriel Abdalla of St. George, Charleston

The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting (EOCS) is pleased to announce that a scholarship of $1000 has been awarded to Isaac Gabriel Abdalla. He was selected from a nationwide group of highly qualified applicants who had received both the highest award of their Scout organization (Eagle or Gold, for Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA, respectively) and the highest Orthodox Christian religious award, the Alpha Omega medal. Students were evaluated on how they demonstrated love of God and their Orthodox Christian Faith through scholarship, leadership, service, and practical citizenship in their church, school, Scouting unit, and community.

Isaac Gabriel Abdalla is a communicant of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Charleston, WV. He attended Capital High School, and his most recent Scout units are Troop 64 and Venturing Crew 64. Among his many distinctions are completion of every merit badge in the Boy Scout program, Brotherhood status in the Order of the Arrow, extensive community service, and a massive Eagle Scout project that resulted in over 12,000 food items being collected for a local food bank. He graduated in the top 3% of his class, has been very active in his parish, played varsity sports all high school years, and both participated in and led state championship chess teams. Isaac will attend West Virginia University this coming fall and plans to major in engineering.

Helen Amelia McGinnis, a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte, NC, also received a $1000 scholarship. She will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and plans to study computer science.

The EOCS is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Formed in 1960, it is tasked with coordinating the Orthodox Christian Scouting program in America and serving as the officially recognized representative of the Eastern Orthodox Church for both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts nationally. Along with granting annual scholarships (56 since 1993), the EOCS publicizes Orthodox Christian Scouting, holds retreats, assists in the formation of troops, and offers three age-appropriate religious awards for Scouts. For more information about any of these topics, visit the EOCS website at www.eocs.org.

Contact: Dr. Miriam E. Kotsonis, Scholarship Chairman, EOCS; mekotsonis@gmail.com; 908-672-0001.